Tim Barnett responds to the claim that Jesus can’t be God because he calls the Father “my God,” highlighting the fact that Jesus was both fully God and fully human.
Transcript
Objector: Muslims and Christians, I have a question. Does God have a God?
Muslims and Christians: Nope. He’s the only one—our Creator.
Objector: So, when Jesus says “my God” in John 20:17, who’s he referring to?
Christians: He’s referring to our God.
Objector: Who’s Jesus’ God?
Christians: The Father.
Objector: So, the Father is the God of Jesus?
Christians: Correct.
Objector: So, Jesus is not God?
Actually, Christians believe Jesus is God too.
Objector: But I thought God doesn’t have a God?
Christians: That’s correct.
Objector: What does the Quran say?
Muslims: In the Quran, chapter 5:75: “The Messiah, son of Mary, was a messenger of God.” Chapter 19:30, Jesus says, “Indeed, I am the servant of God. He has given me the scripture and made me a prophet.”
Christians: Oh, wait, we say that too! Matthew 21:11: “Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth.” John 4:19, a woman says to Jesus, “I see that you are a prophet.” John 6:14: “After the people saw the miracles of Jesus, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the prophet we were promised to come into the world.’”
Objector: I’m even more confused now. How does that work?
Tim: In today’s video, we’re responding to a talking Bible and Quran. Isn’t the internet awesome?
All right, here’s the argument in a nutshell: God can’t have a God. Jesus has a God. So, therefore, Jesus can’t be God, right? We’re responding to the claim that Jesus can’t be God because he refers to God as “my God.” For example, after the resurrection, Jesus tells Mary, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (John 20:17). There. Case closed. Rest in peace, Christianity. Well, not so fast. Let’s break this one down together.
I’ve said it before, and I will say it again. If you’re going to challenge Christian theology, then you should try to understand Christian theology. This argument ignores two core Christian beliefs: the Trinity and the incarnation.
First, Christians believe in one God who exists as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each is fully God, sharing the same divine essence, but each is a distinct person. So, the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God.
Second, Christians hold that the Son, who is God, took on a human nature without ceasing to be God. So, he is fully human and fully divine.
Okay, why is all this theology important? Because it helps us understand how Jesus can pray and refer to God and yet still be God. When Jesus says “my God,” he is referring to the Father, who is God. And the reason it’s entirely appropriate for Jesus to speak to God the Father as “my God” is because Jesus is fully human. In his humanity, Jesus is a perfect man who honors, obeys, and prays to God the Father. So, Jesus’ reference to “my God” doesn’t deny his own divinity. Instead, it reflects his humanity.
Remember, in the incarnation, the Son sets aside his independent authority and heavenly glory. Philippians 2 tells us that Jesus, though in nature God, humbled himself, taking on the form of a servant. But this voluntary humility doesn’t negate his divinity.
Well, don’t the Bible and the Quran both call Jesus a prophet? Well, it’s true that Jesus is called a prophet in both the Bible and the Quran. But the Bible says a whole lot more than that. The Bible also teaches that Jesus fulfills many roles: prophet, priest, Messiah, King, Savior.
John 20:17 records Jesus saying to the Father, “My God,” but in John 20:28—just 11 verses later—Thomas calls Jesus “my Lord and my God.” Or go back a few chapters, and in John 8:58, Jesus says, “Before Abraham was, I AM,” claiming the divine name for himself.
My point is, this video sets up a false dilemma: Either Jesus is God, or Jesus is a prophet. But in reality, he’s both.